Veneer feeder



- VA 7 I I N N INVENTOR.

April 23, 1963 F. L. B. MILLER 3,086,769

VENEER FEEDER Filed Aug. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 N I g FEXEDERICK L. B. MILLER l0 ATTORNEY April 23, 1963 F. L. B. MILLER 3,086,769

VENEER FEEDER Filed Aug. 8, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

L-B. MILLER ATTORNEY A ril 23, 1963 F. L. B. MILLER VENEER FEEDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 8, 1960 ,INVENTOR. FREDERICK L.B. MILLER ATTORNEY 3,086,769 VENEER FEEDER Frederick L. B. Miller, Portland, Greg, assignor to Chipper Machines and Engineering Corporation, Portland, Oreg., a corporation of Oregon Filed Aug. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 48,015 Claims. (Cl. 270-93) This invention relates to a machine for folding and feeding Wide sheets of waste veneer into a chipper machine that will not receive wide sheets in the normal flat condition.

Chipper machines are employed extensively in connection with the utilization of waste Wood from lumber mills and plywood plants. A common form of chipper machine has radial knives mounted in a large disc which rotates on a horizontal axis as shown, for example, in Patent No. 2,183,224. On one side of the axis the knives revolve downward past the shearing edge of a stationary horizontal anvil over which the waste veneer is fed axially into the knives through an infeed opening for reduction to chips used in making pulp, chip board and the like. The chippers heretofore used for veneer are quite large and expensive machines having rotating discs up to eighty-four inches in diameter containing radial knives arranged as the spokes in a wheel. Such large diameter of wheel is necessary to mount knives only thirty inches long, or less, in a machine having a correspondingly restricted width of throat opening across the anvil. In order to feed the veneer into such a chipper, waste sheets of the full width used in making plywood must be cut at least in half, reducing them to twenty-seven inch width or less.

It is highly desirable in the industry to use a smaller and less expensive chipper for this purpose having a fortyeight inch diameter disc with a knife length of sixteen inches but in order to use the smaller machines it has heretofore been necessary to clip extensive portions of defective veneer at closer intervals to reduce the maximum Width to thirteen and one-half inches. This additional clipping increases the work of the clipper operator and multiplies the number of waste pieces to be handled, partially offsetting the saving effected by the use of a smaller chipper.

It is, therefore, the general object of the present invention to provide a feeding mechanism for a chipper machine which will reduce the width of Wide pieces of waste veneer automatically during the feed movement without requiring excessive use of the conventional clipper on defective portions of the veneer prior to feeding it to the chipper.

Another object is to provide a veneer feeder which will reduce the width of the veneer by folding it over upon itself.

Another object is to provide a veneer feeder which will fold and compress wide veneers into a compact bundle of suitable width and thickness to be handled by a small chipper machine that will not receive the veneers in flat condition.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent and the invention will be better understood with reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Various changes may be made, however, in the construction and arrangement of parts and all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims are included in the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a veneer feeder embodying the'pn'nciples of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the feeder;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

3,85,769 Patented Apr. 23, 1963 FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1, with parts omitted, showing the feed belt arrangement;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation view of the rider housing; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing the manner in which veneer is rolled and folded into a compact narrow bundle by the present machine.

In FIGURE 2, the numeral 10 indicates the anvil of a chipper machine having a disc 11 mounted on a horizontal shaft 12. The disc 11 carries a plurality of radial knives 13 which rotate downward-1y in shearing relation to the inner edge of anvil 10. When material is fed to the right across anvil 10 toward the disc 11, the revolving knives rapidly reduce the material to chips of substantially uniform size suitable for various purposes as herein-above explained. The purpose of the present feeder is to roll and fold waste veneer into narrow compact bundles and feed such bundles lengthwise of the grain across the anvil 10 to be reduced to chips by the chipper knives 13.

The feeder comprises a supporting frame 20 which carries a tapered housing 21 above a flat bottom 19. Housing 21 tapers in height as well as in width from a large infeed end which is on the left in FIGURES 1 and 2 to a small outfeed end on the right having a discharge opening 18 of suitable width to feed material into the infeed opening of the chipper machine. The infeed end of housing 21 is further equipped with a flaring shield 22 extending around its top and sides. The upper corners 23 of housing 21 are rounded throughout the length of the housing with top wall portions 24 being downturned as shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4. The lower portions of the side walls are vertical. Housing 21 is connected with frame 20 by a pair of hinge pins 17 at the lower front corners of the housing permitting the housing to pivot upward away from the stationary bottom 19.

Flat sheets of veneer are fed into housing 21 between upper and lower feed belts 25 and 26 parallel with chipper shaft 12 best shown in FIGURES 3 and 5. Belt 26 slides on the smooth floor 19 as shown in FIGURE 4 to carry the veneers toward the reduced outfeed opening 18. The veneers are introduced between belts 25 and 26 in a direction lengthwise of the grain and lying fiat with several veneers piled one on top of another, all being of slightly less width than the infeed opening of housing 21. As the veneers are pulled forward between the belts, the contracting width of the housing causes the sheets to fold upward at their side edges. The rounded upper corners 23 and downturned wall portions 24 of the housing exert a progressive curling action tending to roll the side edges into two adjacent rolls, as shown in FIGURE 7, as the curls are compressed by the diminishing width and height P of the housing toward the outfeed opening 18. The rolls of veneer thus formed by the housing 21 are further flattened and compressed by other instrumentalities presently to be described. The side walls of the housing tend to guide and straighten the veneer parallel with chipper shaft 12 so that the chips will have uniform fiber length.

The arrangement of the feed belts is best shown in FIGURE 5 wherein the housing and certain other parts are omitted. Upper belt 25 is trained around front idler pulley 27 on shaft 28' and rear drive pulley 29 on shaft 30. The belt is kept tight by an idler pulley 31 on shaft 32. Lower belt 26 is trained around front idler pulley 33 on a shaft 34 directly under the shaft 28 and rear drive pulley 35 on a shaft 36. This belt is kept tight by an idler pulley 37 on a shaft 38. The belt enters the housing through a rectangular opening 39 in the floor 19 as shown in FIGURE 3.

'FIGURE 1.) When no veneer is passing FIGURE 6 shows the rider housing 46 which carries the upper feed' belt pulleys 27 and 29, with other parts Dmitted. Pivotallfy mounted on a pair'of stub shafts 41 .j'ournaled in suitable bearings in the frame on opposite sides of housing 21 is a U-shaped frame 4-2. (See also through the machine, U-frame 42 rests on adjustable stops 43 to provide a slight clearance between the belts 25 and 26 at the under side of pulley 29. Shaft 30 is mounted at its ends in the arms of U-frame 42 to provide pivotal support for the rear end of rider housing 40. The forward end of rider housing 49 supports the pulley shaft 28. The forward end of rider housing is also equipped on its opposite sides with a pair of rests 44. When there is no veneer passing through the machine, these rests bear upon adjustable stops 45 on top of the housing 21, as shown in FIGUREZ, to hold belt 25 spaced slightly above belt 26 on the under side of pulley 27. Although the belts 25 and 26 run at the same speed, it is'desirable to maintain such spacing when the machine is not fee-dingveneer so that the belt splice fasteners cannot come into contact with each other.

Thus,'the upper belt 25 can rise and fall independently at its leading and trailing ends, depending upon the variable thickness of veneer between the upper and lower belts. When the thickness of veneer between the belts increasesthe front rider pulley 27'may pivot upward in an are around the axis of shaft 30, as indicated by arrow 46. When such increased thickness of veneer passes under real pulley 29, this pulley lifts the U-frame 42, causing shaft 30 to rotate in an are about the axis of stubshafts 41, as indicated by arrow 47. Shaft 30 extends above the top of housing 21 and rider housing 40 projects forward through a narrow longitudinal slot 48 in the top of housing 21, as seen in FIGURE 1. As seen in FIGURES 3 and 4, slot'48 is defined by the lower edges of the downturned top wall portions 24-.

' The shaft 32 of belt tightener idler pulley 31 is mounted in a frame 50 for'sliding movement on rider housing 40, as shown in FIGURE 4. Compression springs 51 on the guide rods 52 press the'shaft 32 downward toward the 'lower end of shaft guide slots 53 in FIGURE 6. Rods 52 are anchored at their lower ends on ears 54 on opposite sides of rider housing 40. A similar device 55 in FIG- URE 2 actuates idler pulley 37 to tension the lower feed belt 26.

It will be observed in. FIGURE 5 that the veneer will continue to travel on the lower belt 26 after passing beyond the end of upper belt '25. In this outfeed section of the machine the belt 26 passes between parallel vertical side walls 59 on frame 20 to carry the veneers under a holddown shoe 60 having a rearwardly sloping bottom plate '61 terminating in a curved end over the pulley 35. Shoe 60 is pivotally mounted at 62 on housing 21 above outfeed opening 18 at the rear end of the housing. Stop lugs 63 in FIGURE 2 engage stationary parts of the frame 20 to prevent the lower end of plate 61 from bearing on the belt 26 when no veneer is passing through the machine. The rear end of housing 21 is equipped with a lifting ear 57 and the rear end of shoe 60 is equipped with a lifting ear 58.

Hold-down shoe 60 also carries a pad 65 extending rearwardly over the anvil 10 of the chipper machine. :Pad 65 is pivotally mounte'dat 66 on the shoe 60. This padwand shoe have a width to fit between the side walls .59 with clearance for vertical movement and may be weighted or spring depressed to flatten the rolls of veneer, as shown in FIGURE 7, as the veneer enters into the'chipper machine. A lip.67 on pad 65 limits the downward movement of the pad relative to shoe 60. A small fluted roll 70bridges the space between pulley 35 and anvil '10, forcing the veneer to pass smoothly over the top of the anvil and preventing slivers from becoming jammed betweenbelt 26 and anvil 10. order to maintain this relationship the feeder may be'rigidly connected to the chipper, if desired.

The feeder is driven by a motor 75 having a belt 76 to the input pulley 77 of a conventional shaft-mounted reduction gear unit 78. Within the unit 78 is a gear driving the lower feed belt shaft which in turn drives the fluted roll 70 by means not shown. The shaft-mounted gear unit is also equipped with an output pulley 80 coaxial with its input pulley 77. Pulley 80 is connectedby a belt 81 with a pulley 82 on one of the stub shafts 41. A pulley 83 on this shaft carries a belt 84 to a pulley 85 on the shaft 30. Belt 84 is kept tight by an idler pulley 86 on an adjustable pivotally mounted quadrant plate 87 on the adjacent arm of U-frame 42.

Veneer of varying width is normally fed 'into the malaterally and longitudinally with the grain extending lengthwise in the direction of feed, although precise alignment with the belts is not necessary. With the Weightof rider housing 40 and its associated pulleys and shafts bearing on top of'the veneer, the veneer is fed through the housing by the tractive effort of the belts exerted on the top and bottom pieces, the lateral convergence of the housing tending to straighten out the misaligned pieces. The compression'of the central portions of the veneers under the weight of the rider housing causes the side edges to bend upward whereby the convergenceof .the side walls of housing 21 continues the bending and causes the veneers to curl as may be necessary to reduce the width of thebundle to the width of the outfeed opening '18. The bundle thus double rolled and folded is flattened and compressed by shoe 60 and then held in that condition by pad 65 right up to the infeed opening of the chipper so that the bundle has no opportunityto unfold and interfere with the feeding action into the chipper. The feed belts 25 and 26 may run somewhat'fasterthan the chipper will take the material, the belts then sliding on the veneers and keeping them pressed forward toward the chipper.

the curling and folding action experienced by multiple layers of veneer of different in passing through the feeder. Just inside the infeed end of housing 21 the veneer V is curled only at-its edges indicated at 91. At the outfeed opening 18 the veneer is curled to less than half its original width, as indicated in the broken section at 92. These rolls are then flattened as indicated at 93 by the shoe 60 and held flattened by pad 65 as they pass over the anvil 10.

Thus, the present machine can feed Wide and narrow sheets of Waste veneer through the narrow spout opening of a small chipper machine as fast as the chipper can operate to reduce it to chips. As the end of each piece becomes short, it is confined and held in place'and pushed along by other enveloping pieces of veneer, so that no short ends are lost and there is no Waste. In practice, the'feeder may be supplied by a conveyor or directly by hand and, in any event, the veneers may be staggered longitudinally or overlapped in the manner of shingles as would normally result from hand or machine feeding, one after another on top of each other.

If the feeder should become plugged, the housing 21 and shoe 60 may be lifted by cables from an air cylinder or other lift means (not shown) attached to lifting cars 57 and 58. In this way the housing and shoe may be FIGURE 7 shows 7 pivoted upward on hinge pins 17, lifting the housing off its floor plate 19 and lower belt 26 and lifting shoefl) out from between stationary side walls 59 sufiiciently to allow removal of the veneer causing the difficulty. This is accomplished quickly without removing any of the belts and the feeder is immediately ready to resume operation. When the housing is lifted, it in turn lifts the upper belt 25 off the veneer giving free access for removal of the veneer.

Having now described my invention and in what mann'er the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A veneer feeder comprising a bottom horizontal conveyor belt, a top horizontal conveyor belt arranged for vertical movement to clampinterposed portions of veneers against said bottom belt, and converging guide surfaces on opposite sides of said belts arranged to fold projecting side edge portions or" the veneers inwardly toward each other above said top belt.

2. A veneer feeder comprising a convergent tunnel housing having a large infeed opening at one end and a smaller outfeed opening at the opposite end, a bottom conveyor belt in said housing substantially as wide as said outfeed opening and extending through said opening, and a narrower top conveyor belt mounted for vertical movement in said housing and arranged to clamp veneers against the medial portion of said bottom belt.

3. A veneer feeder comprising a tunnel housing having convergent top, bottom and opposite side walls, a bottom conveyor belt running through said housing, a top conveyor belt arranged to clamp veneers against said bottom belt, a pair of pulleys supporting said top conveyor belt, pivotal arms supporting said pulleys for independent vertical movement to accommodate variations in thickness of said veneers, and means for driving said top belt during vertical movements of said pulleys.

4. A veneer feeder comprising a tunnel housing having conver ent top, bottom and opposite side walls, a bottom conveyor belt running through said housing, a rider housing having front and rear pulley shafts mounted in its opposite ends, a top conveyor belt mounted on pulleys on said shafts overlying said bottom conveyor belt to clamp veneers between said belts, arms on opposite sides of said rider housing pivotally connecting said rear pulley shaft with said tunnel housing for independent vertical movement of said pulleys to accommodate variations in thickness of said veneers, and means for driving said top belt during vertical movements of said pulleys.

5. A veneer feeder comprising a convergent tunnel housing having upper corners rounded in cross section and a longitudinal slot in its top wall, a bottom conveyor belt running through said housing, a rider housing having vertical movement in said slot, front and rear pulley shafts mounted in said rider housing, a top conveyor belt mounted on pulleys on said shafts overlying said bottom conveyor belt to clamp veneers between said belts, a U-frame having arms on opposite sides of said tunnel housing pivotally connecting said rear pulley shaft with pivotal connections on opposite sides of said tunnel housin-g between said two pulley shafts for independent vertical movement of said pulleys to accommodate variations in the thickness of the veneers, and a drive pulley on the axis of said pivotal connections belted to a driven pulley on said rear pulley shaft.

6. A veneer feeder comprising a convergent tunnel housing tapering in width and height from a large infeed opening at one end to a smaller outfeed opening at the opposite end, said housing having rounded upper corners, a pair of opposite parallel vertical side walls extending from said outfeed opening, a bottom flat belt conveyor extending from said infeed end through said outfeed opening and between said parallel side walls, a top flat belt conveyor in said housing arranged to bear on veneers on said bottom belt, and a compression shoe movable vertically above said bottom belt between said parallel side walls.

7. A veneer feeder comprising a convergent tunnel housing tapering in width and height from a large infeed opening at one end to a smaller outfeed opening at the opposite end, said housing having rounded upper comers, a pair of opposite parallel vertical side walls extending from said outfeed opening, a bottom flat belt conveyor extending from said infeed end through said outfeed opening and between said parallel side walls, a top fiat belt conveyor in said housing arranged to bear on veneers on said bottom belt, a fluted roller mounted between said parallel side walls at the end of said bottom conveyor, a compression shoe pivotally mounted at the top of said outfeed opening for vertical movement over said bottom belt between said parallel side walls, and a compression pad pivotally mounted on said shoe and extending rearwardly beyond said fluted roller.

8. A veneer feeder comprising a frame, a convergent tunnel housing having top and side walls pivotally mounted on said frame at the infeed end of said housing, a floor on said frame, a lower endless belt conveyor having an upper reach travelling on said floor within said housing, an upper endless belt conveyor having a lower reach arranged to clamp the upper side of material resting on said lower belt, and means on said frame supporting said upper belt for vertical movement relative to said housing to clamp said material, the outfeed end of said housing being movable upward about said pivotal mounting and arranged to lift said upper belt off said material when the housing is lifted.

9. A veneer feeder comprising a tunnel housing convergent in horizontal and vertical directions and having rounded upper longitudinal corners, said housing having a top wall with a longitudinal slot therein, a horizontal bottom conveyor belt running through said housing, a narrow top conveyor belt having a bottom surface arranged to clamp veneer against said bottom belt, a pair of pulleys carrying said top belt, means mounting said pulleys for independent vertical movements in said slot, and means for driving said top conveyor belt during vertical movements of said pulleys.

10. A veneer feeder comprising a tunnel housing convergent in horizontal and vertical directions and having rounded upper longitudinal corners, said housing having a top wall with a longitudinal slot therein, a bottom conveyor unit extending longitudinally through said housing, a top longitudinal conveyor unit having a bottom traction surface arranged to clamp veneer against said bottom conveyor unit, means mounting said top unit for independent vertical movements of its opposite ends in said slot, and means for driving said top unit during said vertical movements.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 417,056 Ludwig Dec. 10, 1889 1,063,993 McNamara June 10, 1913 1,992,179 Blosser et al. Feb. 26, 1935 2,150,984 Near et a1. Mar. 21, 1939 2,772,088 Nelson Nov. 27, 1956 2,923,439 Benton Feb. 2, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 388,465 France June 1, 1908 

10. A VENEER FEEDER COMPRISING A TUNNEL HOUSING CONVERGENT IN HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DIRECTIONS AND HAVING ROUNDED UPPER LONGITUDINAL CORNERS, SAID HOUSING HAVING A TOP WALL WITH A LONGITUDINAL SLOT THEREIN, A BOTTOM CONVEYOR UNIT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID HOUSING, A TOP LONGITUDINAL CONVEYOR UNIT HAVING A BOTTOM TRACTION SURFACE ARRANGED TO CLAMP VENEER AGAINST SAID BOTTOM CONVEYOR UNIT, MEANS MOUNTING SAID TOP UNIT FOR INDEPENDENT VERTICAL MOVEMENTS OF ITS OPPOSITE ENDS IN SAID SLOT, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID TOP UNIT DURING SAID VERTICAL MOVEMENTS. 